– ‘Let these contrite men play’ –

“So let’s get this straight. #CricketAustralia, under David Peever, has overseen the destruction of the intn’l image of our national game. But Peever gets re-appointed as Chair last wk, 3 days before release of damning Longstaff Report?”

The Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) said in light of the scathing assessment, CA must share responsibility for the scandal, calling the bans on Smith, Warner and Bancroft to be lifted.

“With this new information, common sense, common decency, basic fairness, proportionality and natural justice demand that the punishment is reduced,” ACA President Greg Dyer told reporters in Melbourne.

“The players have already lost time in the game, chances to play for Australia, endured public humiliation and faced massive financial penalties.”

The CA review by the Sydney-based Ethics Centre accused Cricket Australia of ignoring the spirit of the game, leaving players without moral guidance.

“My message to Cricket Australia is a simple one: These contrite men have been punished enough. Let these contrite men play,” Dyer said.

ACA also called for the “urgent” implementation of all 42 recommendations in the 145-page report, which also included complaints from those involved in the sport of a bullying culture in elite men’s cricket.

Among the recommendations was an anti-harassment code to stop sledging, and training to improve team leaders’ “moral courage”.

The team, who have struggled for form in the absence of batting stars Smith and Warner, also released a “players pact” promising to respect the traditions of the game.

Similar initiatives in the past, such as the “Spirit of Cricket” charter in 2003, had little impact.